RICHARD 2010

When the Planets Refuse to Align

Location

BELIZE

Date

24-25 Oct 2010

Intensity

Cat 2 (85 kt) (missed)

Partner

Solo

Richard was an exercise in frustration. October Caribbean hurricanes are my favorite, but this system gave me mixed signals for days. When it finally cleared Honduras and started to look like good chase material, I frantically jumped on a flight for Belize City, connecting through San Salvador. Well, the connecting flight was delayed due to mechanical problems. And as I sat in the San Salvador Airport waiting for the crew to fix the problem, Richard approached Belize and the flight was eventually canceled—just a couple of hours before landfall. Traveling that far only to miss the storm is a chaser's worst fear. Needless to say, I flew back to L.A. in a mood. What a bust!

The private comfort zone I created for myself in a quiet corner of the San Salvador Airport—a perfect setup for obsessing minute-by-minute over a storm that I would end up missing!